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The amount of cash the council makes from parking fines has more than tripled in two years, a new report has revealed.

Reading Borough Council raked in £91,907 from slapping tickets on drivers who parked where they shouldn’t during the last financial year.

That’s three times more than in 2002/2003, when the profit was £27,662.

Details of the profit for the period 2005/2006 are not yet available as it does not end until this month, and those for 2001/2002, the first full year after the council took over issuing tickets from police traffic wardens, are not available either.

In 2003/2004, however, it was £49,094.

The figures are given in a report to be presented to the council’s environment scrutiny panel tonight by transport strategy manager Pat Baxter.

Profits from the fines – now £60, or £30 if they are paid within two weeks – are used to fund residents parking schemes, the report says.

The document also reveals a new company has been contracted to do the job of ticketing illegal parkers, following the end of a five-year contract held by Vinci.

Vinci has been in charge of illegal parking on the town’s streets since August 2000, when the council took over responsibility for sending out wardens to patrol the area and turned the borough into a Special Parking Area, the first of its kind outside London.

But parking firm NCP will take over from Vinci on Saturday, April 1, this year.

Ms Baxter said the council had decided to launch a new bid for the contract because it wanted to improve customer care.

Bosses at NCP are due to attend the meeting this evening to explain their plan.

It has already been revealed that NCP is to take charge of the council’s car parks, including Queen’s Road, Broad Street Mall, Cattle Market, King’s Meadow, Hills Meadow, Chester Street, Dunstall Close and Recreation Road on April 1.

Ms Baxter’s report says a review of residents’ parking schemes is also under way after concerns from neighbours and other users such as social and nursing services.

Some are unhappy with the schemes because they have to buy extra permits for visitors and their number is limited, she said.

“The number, types and amount of these permits is causing some concern and several residents, businesses and other organisations have asked that the type pf permits and criteria for their use be reviewed,” Ms Baxter said.